Even though I bought a gaming PC, it stutters for a moment while playing a game. The screen freezes for a moment and the operations jump. As of February 2026, there are still quite a lot of people suffering from the so-called "petit freeze."

If you think, "The specs should be sufficient...", the cause may not be your hardware but your Windows 11 settings. In this article, we will explain six causes of stuttering and small freezes during games and how to deal with each one, even without images.

What exactly is going on with "Petit Freeze"?

Petit freeze is a phenomenon where the screen freezes for about 0.5 to 2 seconds during a game. It won't completely freeze, but the FPS (frames per second) will drop for a moment, and the controls will skip or lag.

The causes can be broadly divided into two types: ``Something is running behind the scenes'' and ``The settings are not suitable for the game.'' In most cases, the culprit is not a lack of GPU or CPU specs, but Windows settings or background processing.

Let's take a look at the causes and solutions one by one.

Cause 1: Windows 11 notification pop-ups are interrupting your game

A surprisingly common cause of sudden crashes during gaming is Notification pop-ups. When an email or app notification is displayed as a banner, the drawing priority is taken away from the game and there is a momentary stutter.

Be careful, especially if you are playing in a "borderless window" instead of full screen, as notification banners are likely to be displayed.

Workaround: Enable "Do Not Disturb" mode

Windows 11 has a "Do Not Disturb" mode. Turn this on to hide notification banners.

  1. Settings → System → Open Notifications
  2. Turn on Do Not Disturb
  3. Open "Turn Do Not Disturb Automatically" further down
  4. Check "When playing a game"

Now, notifications will be automatically blocked while the game is running. It is also explained in detail on Microsoft's official support page.

Cause 2: Xbox Game Bar overlay is overloading

"Xbox Game Bar" is installed by default on Windows 11. It can be opened with Win+G during the game.

Although this is a useful feature, it consumes several percent of GPU resources because the overlay (a function that displays on top of the screen) is always waiting. Epic Games official help also recommends turning off Xbox Game Bar to improve performance.

Workaround: Disable Xbox Game Bar

  1. Settings → Games → Open Xbox Game Bar
  2. Turn off "Use this button on your controller to open Xbox Game Bar"
  3. If you want to completely disable it, go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find "Xbox Game Bar" and go to "Advanced options" → "Background permissions" to "None"

If you don't need recording or screenshot functions, you may want to turn them off to stabilize FPS.

Cause 3: Windows Update is running in the background

This is the most common pattern of sudden jerks during the game. When Windows Update begins downloading and installing in the background, disk I/O and CPU are temporarily taken away.

This is especially noticeable on PCs with HDDs, and even on SSDs, stutters occur during deployment of major updates.

Workaround: Set active hours

  1. Settings → Windows Update → Open Advanced options
  2. Set the "Active Hours" (e.g. the time period during which you want to play the game, such as 18:00-25:00)

Windows Update restart will be suppressed during active hours. However, the download itself will not stop, so it is best to complete the update manually before playing the game.

Also, setting it as a metered connection will temporarily stop the download of major updates. However, we do not recommend using it regularly as there is a risk that it will stop working until the security update.

Cause 4: Startup apps are eating resources behind the scenes

If there are many applications that start up automatically when the PC starts (startup applications), they will constantly consume memory and CPU. Typical examples include Discord, Spotify, and cloud storage sync apps.

Workaround: Disable unnecessary startup apps

  1. Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
  2. Select the Startup Apps tab
  3. Right-click on an unnecessary app while gaming → "Disable"

In particular, give priority to checking those with a high impact on startups. Be careful with synchronization apps such as OneDrive, Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Cloud, as they will put pressure on disk I/O if file synchronization runs during a game.

Cause 5: Game mode is turned off

Windows 11 has a feature called "Game Mode". When turned on, background processes (such as driver installation and restart notifications) are suppressed while the game is running, and CPU and GPU resources are prioritized for the game.

Workaround: Turn on game mode

  1. Settings → Game → Open Game Mode
  2. Turn on Game Mode

As of February 2026, game mode is turned on by default in Windows 11, but it may be turned off for some reason. Let's check it just to be sure.

In addition, there are reports that some older games stutter when the game mode is turned on. In that case, try turning it off and comparing.

Cause 6: The power plan is set to "Balanced"

The default power plan in Windows 11 is "Balanced". This is a convenient setting that automatically switches between power saving and performance, but if you switch to power saving during a game, the CPU clock may drop and cause a momentary stutter.

Workaround: Set the power plan to "High Performance"

  1. Open Settings → System → Power
  2. Change "Power Mode" to "Optimal Performance"

If you have a desktop PC, "optimal performance" is always OK. For notebook PCs, there is a trade-off between battery life and battery life, so we recommend setting it to "Optimal Performance" only when connected to the AC adapter.

Additionally, you can mark individual games as ``High Performance'' in Graphics Settings. Add the game executable from Settings → System → Display → Graphics and select "High Performance".

Things to check if the problem still persists

If the problem does not improve after trying the above six methods, please also check the following.

  • Update GPU driver: For NVIDIA, GeForce driver download, for AMD, AMD Install the latest version from Support
  • Free disk space: Performance will decrease if the free space on the SSD/HDD is less than 10%
  • Insufficient memory: If the memory usage rate during gaming is over 90% in Task Manager, consider adding more memory
  • Thermal throttling: Automatically lowers the clock when the CPU/GPU temperature is too high. Check your temperature with a free tool like HWiNFO

FAQ

Does it stutter when you turn on game mode?

Yes, game modes can have negative effects on some older games and emulators. Switch on and off, compare, and choose the one that is more stable.

If I disable Xbox Game Bar, will I be unable to record games?

Yes, the recording function (Win+Alt+R) of Xbox Game Bar will no longer be available. If you need to record, use another recording software such as OBS Studio or GeForce Experience (ShadowPlay).

If I turn on "Do not respond" for notifications, will I stop receiving LINE and email notifications?

The notification banner (popup) will no longer be displayed, but the notifications themselves will accumulate in the notification center. Don't worry, you can check it all at once after the game ends.

What is the difference between petit freeze and FPS drop?

Small freeze is a phenomenon where the game suddenly stops for a moment, and FPS drop is a phenomenon where the overall frame rate drops. Although the causes may be different, if the cause is background processing, both often occur at the same time.

Can mini freezes be fixed by replacing it with an SSD?

If you are using an HDD, replacing it with an SSD (especially NVMe) may dramatically improve the performance. This is the most effective measure in cases where disk I/O is the bottleneck.

References